


In your sacred air I'm full of light

by mathma



Series: #ina11fantasyweek on twitter [3]
Category: Inazuma Eleven
Genre: (a bit), Ableist Language, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood, Clairvoyant Kidou Yuuto, Conflict, Falling In Love, Fire, First Meetings, King Endou Mamoru, Love Triangles, M/M, Magic, Mercenary Gouenji Shuuya, Political Alliances, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, day 3 : royalty, day 4 : castle, day 5 : knights, day 6 : weapons, f ch 3:, f ch 4:, ina11fantasyweek, it's not a soulmates!au because they already are, mood : courage, mood : friendship, mood : hope, mood : light/darkness, strange source of healing magic coming from the soil, wounds and healing wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28729758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathma/pseuds/mathma
Summary: “I’m free to choose, right?” he asked hesitantly. “If you’ll not be able to provide for Yuuka’s health, I’ll have to decline”.His majesty nodded, seeming understanding. “I get it. It’s fine, Gouenji. I need you here, and I’ll do everything I can to make you stay,” he said resolutely, crossing his strong arms over his chest. Gouenji felt a bit intimidated by that, he had to admit. But his majesty’s voice was soft and sincere. “Anyway, I don’t want you to feel coerced into it, that’s for sure”.There was a pause Gouenji didn’t like. He frowned, not knowing where that conversation was going.“So, I kidnapped your sister, too”.
Relationships: Endou Mamoru/Gouenji Shuuya, Endou Mamoru/Kidou Yuuto, Gouenji Shuuya & Gouenji Yuuka, Gouenji Shuuya/Kidou Yuuto
Series: #ina11fantasyweek on twitter [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2089623
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Royalty - Hope

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is the sequel of my previous fic "The deepest night" (wrote for the GouKiWeek) https://archiveofourown.org/works/27033184 , I changed some details of course, but you'll might enjoy it anyway. It's been so long since then, I feel like I've improved so much! But it's probably just an impression, tee-eeh.  
> This fanfiction will cover three days of the ina11fantasyweek, one chapter at time.

The first glimpse he had of the king was his silhouette, immersed in a garden full of sunflowers. He was wearing a simple white tunic, the only jewel he was wearing was the thin red crown over his tousled hair. And he looked serene, humming something by himself. His hands dirt with soil, as he was transplanting a small bush of roses at the side of the field.

He knelt down immediately as the king turned around, feeling the pressure of old habits. A soft and awkward laughter made him raise his head a little.

“There’s no need for these formalities, Gouenji” the king chuckled. “Kidou told me about you already”.

Gouenji stood up, slightly confused by the situation, a bit wary if he had to be honest.

“Actually, I’m sorry,” his majesty went on rambling, patting the tunic with soft gestures and cleaning himself on the white fabric. Gouenji noticed the few scratches on his tanned arms, probably from touching the roses. “I wish he had been a bit more friendly with you. We didn’t know how to get you here without kidnapping you, seems like we had to do it anyway”.

The mercenary looked at the king’s open smile, still not getting what was happening here.

“Kidou said you wanted me,” he said, frankly. “Why?”

His majesty’s gaze was calm and confident at the same time and Gouenji found himself drowning in it already. “I feel you have something I don’t possess. And I can’t get, either” the king responded vaguely, but Gouenji could tell he wasn’t meaning any harm, so he relaxed his shoulders for the first time in hours.

Gouenji could recognize a bad man from miles. And that king wasn’t one.

“That’s not an answer,” he scoffed slightly.

His majesty grinned at that, as if he was finding the whole situation quite funny. He scratched the base of his nape in embarrassment, giving him the feeling he was in front of a child. A _pure soul_ , like Kidou had said. Gouenji had figured out what he meant already.

“I’m not completely sure of what it is myself. Kidou had tried to explain it to me. Maybe you’ll get what he means when he’ll tell you in person”.

“I’m not special,” Gouenji pointed out promptly. “I’m just a mercenary. I want it to be clear. The only reason I’m here it’s because I need money to take care of my sister, Yuuka”.

Gouenji had felt dirty in the past for being so greedy, but he had got used to it quickly. That’s right. All it mattered for him was Yuuka being safe, and that was it, no matter who his patron might be. Being at Kirkwood Empire’s service he was able to pay for the court magicians, and they kept her under their surveillance, a huge thing for someone like him who came from the suburbs. Even in nights he couldn’t get nothing to eat for himself, the thought of Yuuka being in the best hands of the court made him rest soundly.

Even if that king was not threat, there weren’t many chances for him to give him the same treatment the Empire provided. For what he knew, Endou Mamoru’s kingdom was small; so small it consisted in a single village, all gathered between the walls of an old manor. Their territory wasn’t larger than two square miles. The only magician in his majesty’s court was the clairvoyant, and nobody else there knew how to use magic. There wasn’t any physician either, he knew. Gouenji had serious doubts about the whole situation.

“I’m free to choose, right?” he asked hesitantly. “If you’ll not be able to provide for Yuuka’s health, I’ll have to decline”.

His majesty nodded, seeming understanding. “I get it. It’s fine, Gouenji. I need you here, and I’ll do everything I can to make you stay,” he said resolutely, crossing his strong arms over his chest. Gouenji felt a bit intimidated by that, he had to admit. But his majesty’s voice was soft and sincere. “Anyway, I don’t want you to feel coerced into it, that’s for sure”.

There was a pause Gouenji didn’t like. He frowned, not knowing where that conversation was going.

“ _So, I kidnapped your sister, too_ ”.

Gouenji’s neutral expression fell immediately. “You what?!” he screamed, quite agitated, feeling the rage boiling at the base of his guts. He expected that soft and naïve king to waver at that, but his majesty stood there, arms crossed, with a fierce smile on his lips. “I just want to show you what this place is capable of. I wouldn’t have convinced you to stay otherwise, am I right?”

“She needs to be under continuous observation,” Gouenji barked, hand on the hilt of his dagger already. “What have you done to her?!”

His majesty raised a hand, showing him his calloused palm. “It’s alright, Gouenji. Yuuka is right here. And she is safe, I promise you”.

Gouenji couldn’t eat it whole. “How can I trust you?” he screamed. There were no guards, not a single knight who could protect the king. Even turning around, Gouenji couldn’t see anyone besides them in that garden. Why they made him keep his dagger with him anyway? It was just suspicious. “You don’t have anything”, he murmured, panic rising and filling his chest whole.

His majesty gave him a knowing smile, tilting his chin like he wanted to challenge him. “Are you sure you know all the secrets of this place?” he asked proudly.

Gouenji knew right there, right then, that he was witnessing to the true form of the king. He lowered his dagger, now intimidated by that confidence of his, scared by the thought it could have been a trap. If he had laid a finger on his majesty, he would have been the first to fall, that was for sure. There were probably some archers hidden behind the windows facing the garden, ready to hit him. Gouenji gave a quick glance to them too, but he couldn’t notice anything strange.

He shoved the dagger away, feeling tense all of sudden. That was strange, the atmosphere was strange, he couldn’t trust any of this. He knew. “Take me to her,” he ordered, and in any other occasion he would have found the situation quite ironic, a mercenary ordering a king around like if the hostage wasn’t him.

The king didn’t move an inch, obviously. But he didn’t seem upset, quite the contrary, he looked peaceful and controlled. It was the first time he saw a king like him, so prone to welcome him with a kind smile like if he was receiving an old friend, so unbothered by the menace of his blade and looking so confident and unregretful it was suspicious.

“I’ll take you,” his majesty nodded. “And if you’ll think it’s not enough for her, I’ll let you leave. But you won’t”.

“Why are you so sure of that?” Gouenji grumbled, quite embarrassed. He couldn’t really understand this man.

Endou smiled again. “Because there’s nothing better than the power of God Herself,” he said.

֍

Gouenji followed him through the narrow alleys of the palace. It wasn’t like any other castle he had seen in his life, maybe because it resembled a mansion more than a fortress. That was surprising: Endou’s kingdom was one of the most mysterious in the world, surrounded by high walls that covered the view. As a mercenary, he had collected a lot of information about that place, maybe more than the king himself could imagine; but he could never get physically through the gates, mostly because there was no need to have business with a kingdom that small. But something was changing. His presence there was a factor.

His majesty needed him, and even if he couldn’t understand why, he could tell it was something quite out of the ordinary by the fact that nobody else was there: he couldn’t feel any presence besides the two of them, and that was something disturbing. The palace wasn’t big, and even then, there was nobody occupying it. His majesty hadn’t a court.

“Where are the others?” he asked to the man in front of him. It was difficult to consider Endou a king, now. It was more appropriate to call him a landowner.

“I asked them to prepare for your arrival,” His majesty said, turning slightly at him. He stopped for him to join him and proceeded to walk at his side. 

“Why are you so sure I’ll stay?” Gouenji asked, quite curious but still upset by all the kidnapping thing.

His majesty smiled at him, choosing a turn once they reached a crossroad. The mansion resembled a labyrinth at that point and Gouenji was starting to lose his way. “Because you are a good man, Gouenji,” he said.

That was the same thing Kidou had told him.

“I heard it already, but I don’t know what you mean. And why you should think that. We don’t even know each other”. His majesty simply shook his head, like he wasn’t getting it, but he kept silent. Gouenji found it very weird. “You are weird,” he murmured, formalities dropped for real.

“It’s complicated,” His majesty said with a light laughter. “It’s something I can’t explain myself. Just instinct, I suppose”.

Instinct. Gouenji knew it well, being in the forest for the majority of his time. He had always thought there was something animal in him, always suggesting him where to hunt, where to hit, where to sleep safely. There wasn’t nothing good or noble growing as a bandit for most of his life, but instinct was something he couldn’t have gotten with any title. He had never felt bothered by the difference that intercurred between him and his many patrons, but knowing Endou Mamoru was a mystical experience to say the least.

He looked so simple. The way he moved, he acted and talked were easy to catch and understand. There was something mysterious about him, too; but nothing Gouenji could have been able to describe out loud. A sort of energy that made him see that a king was really there, even for short instants. Gouenji was an observer, and he had a certain idea in mind of how a king was made. It sort of had something with how much power they could hold, and the amount of menace they could exert over their subjects. Endou had nothing of these things, and still, he was a king. A really simple one, for sure. Maybe, really just a landlord.

And yet, there was more.

“Here we are,” his majesty sighed, stopping in front of a large door. Gouenji frowned at that, noticing the carvings on the solid wood. They were almost mesmerizing, depicting figures he hadn’t ever seen before.

The king noticed his surprise. “We are entering the deepest part of the castle,” he explained, “It’s a sort of nucleus to which nobody should have access except me”.

“Why did you bring Yuuka inside, then?” Gouenji asked, still a bit wary.

His majesty shrugged. He was acting like he didn’t really care. “That’s a stupid rule. If I want people to be here with me, they can. I’m the king, right?”

Gouenji blinked a pair of times. “Yeah,” he murmured, stunned by the logic of his speaking.

The king smiled at him once again (he wouldn’t have ever stopped, right?) and pushed the doors open.

The view in front of them was astonishing.

Gouenji stepped inside like he was entering a sacred place and it sure felt like that: the walls were painted a soft tone of yellow, reflecting the strong light that was filtering through two massive windows in front of them. The columns at the sides of the huge chamber were wrapped in linen cloth making the ambient even brighter, while the sound of water spilling gave him the impression that there was a garden somewhere over those windows, probably there was a fountain somewhere else or a kind of waterfall. He couldn’t figure out where all that light was coming from, though: he could swear that it wasn’t such a sunny day.

“Where is my sister?” he asked hesitantly, noticing that she was nowhere to be seen and the chamber was pretty much empty. His majesty stepped at his side, placing a big hand on his shoulder. It was the first time the king touched him. He was warmer than the sun.

“I gave her one of the rooms over here. Follow me”.

Gouenji noticed that every column was hiding a passage. The king guided him through a little door at their left. The mercenary entered the small room, feeling stunned: the room seemed bare too, with just a big bed at the center of it and a window, the same strange yellow light filtering through it.

“She’s right here,” His majesty smiled, gesturing at the bed before he could even notice her. She was sinking in a ridiculous mountain of pillows and she was so tiny that it was almost impossible to notice her.

“Yuuka!” Gouenji yelped, reaching her and placing a knee on the soft blankets. It was almost like they were made of clouds, and Gouenji realized how filthy he was, his attire still the one he was wearing during the mission of two nights before. He smelled his own blood and fell back, a bit ashamed. Yuuka couldn’t see him… he wasn’t even sure she knew he was there with her most of the times. Yet, Gouenji always felt wrong in front of her, like if he was at the presence of an angel.

She was fine.

She was breathing regularly through her nose and it was really as if she was in a deep sleep. Her cheeks were rose, too, something he hadn’t ever noticed before, since he had always seen her being quite on the verge of death.

And now, _she was fine_.

His majesty reached him and stood by his side, his presence almost comforting. “She’ll be ok here. I guess she’ll wake up next week, but I can’t be sure”.

“What?” Gouenji asked, turning towards him. “What do you mean, “wake up”?”

The king was scratching his cheek, looking embarrassed. “I mean, my dog woke up after three days. But since Yuuka is human, that might be more complicated”.

Gouenji was stunned. “I… I thought… She’s been like this for a year, by now… I just…”

The king seemed surprised by that. He looked at him with soft eyes full of sympathy. “I didn’t know that…” he admitted. “But I don’t think this will change something”.

“How do you know it?” Gouenji asked, turning around to admire his sister’s solid figure. She was there. She was fine. And she was going to wake up soon. “How can you be so sure of it?” he asked for the second time that day.

“Because that’s Her power,” His majesty explained, gesturing at the big window facing the bed. Gouenji turned around. The light was so intense he couldn’t see through it, and he covered his eyes. It was too much for him to look directly at it. “We call it God’s Hand”.

“God’s… Hand?” he repeated, weirded out by this new discovering. His eyes laid on Yuuka again. She was so peaceful and bright she looked like a mirage.

His majesty sighed, seeming content. “Don’t you feel it too? It’s refreshing, right?”

Gouenji could feel it indeed, even if he had already rested. It was like his limbs were being lifted towards the ceiling by a strange energy, his body now being lighter than a feather, his head emptied of any worry he could have held by then. Yuuka was going to be fine. It was a certainty already, as if there was no need of other proofs except the light in front of him.

The king placed one of his big callouses hands on his shoulder, squeezing it. Gouenji raised his gaze on him, stunned by what he was witnessing with his own eyes. Court magicians were merely able to keep Yuuka alive; now that strange, powerful energy was _healing_ her, and he could tell it from a single glance. “Is it real?” he murmured, and Endou nodded, smiling down at him. His tunic still dirty with soil. “You get it now? It’s gonna be ok, Gouenji” he said cheeringly. His hand on his shoulder was light and warm, like he truly was the sun.

And Gouenji was being blinded by his light.


	2. Castle - Light/Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you saying that magic exists despite the use we make of it?”  
> “What I am saying is that we thought we could control it, without realizing that magic itself is something beyond our possession. And this castle proves it,” the clairvoyant said, gesturing at the room. “God’s Hand is the nucleus. The power plant of this place and everything inside”.  
> Gouenji looked at him, astonished by this information. “Are you saying that the castle is… alive?”  
> Kidou smirked, like he knew something he didn’t. “Something like that. We could say it’s constantly fueled with magic”.  
> “Sunflowers don’t bloom in spring,” Gouenji noted, as he started to understand.  
> The clairvoyant smirked. “Exactly”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooops... seems like there will be one more chapter after all. i don't know if i'll finish it for the fantasyweek, though.  
> this chapter has a lot of explaining, i hope it's not too boring. read until the end for a surprise :D

The headquarter was bigger than he had thought, considering the size of the mansion itself. There was a large table at the center of a round red carpet, gold drapes falling from every window, moving softly under the breeze coming from the open doors at the other side of the room. Gouenji peeked outside, gazing at the large field of sunflowers kissed by the daylight.

He moved cautiously, observing those who were presents before his arrival: the clairvoyant looked pensive, arms crossed over his chest and head bowed, while he was waiting for his king to appear. At the other side of the table, a quite muscular and tanned man in armor was arguing with his squire. Gouenji had seen many noblemen like him, but he was surprised to find one at the royal palace. It was common knowledge that the kingdom didn’t have any military, so the presence of an armored man there was curious.

At least, he could say that Endou had a court. And some servants in charge of cleaning and cooking from what he could notice, since he had found his room nice and clean and the dinner waiting on a table beside his bed. But the only person he had met was a young page bringing him clean clothes for the day: a gentle and tiny creature, too little for attending the military.

Gouenji sat uncomfortably some seats apart from Kidou, waiting for the king to arrive. Anytime the door opened, he almost wished for him to appear; but they were just some other members of the court, gathering there under his majesty’s command as well. He couldn’t tell their status by the simple way they were dressed, (probably because of a sort of etiquette, at that point). There were young men in plain armor and fine women dressed in a white tunic, as if they were maids. Gouenji was trying to figure out why he was invited there and who the other people were, since it was difficult for him to recognize any of them, their traits not related to anyone he had seen. They sure seemed foreigners, coming from outside the Empire.

“You must be Gouenji,” a gentle girl said, as she joined him with a smile. That was sudden. Gouenji panicked and jumped from his seat, recalling the few notions of gallantry he knew and bowing his head. The girl just laughed sheepishly. “What Endou said is true, you really seem stiff”.

Gouenji gulped at that, feeling stupid all of sudden. “I’m… I’m sorry, Miss,” he murmured. “I didn’t see it coming. Am I occupying a seat that isn’t mine, isn’t it?”

“Oh, that’s not it,” the girl smiled. “Wherever you want to sit, it’s fine”.

Gouenji stayed silent for a while, quietly observing her under the sunlight. She was pale and delicate, dark hair gathered behind her ears with a hairband. She sure was an uncommon beauty.

“I’m Aki Kino, by the way,” she said, offering her gloved hand for him to kiss it. He provided.

“I’m…” he hesitated. Her attitude was so plain and casual, like if they were peers. So he supposed they were. “I’m Gouenji Shuuya,” he murmured. “I’m not used to be called by name, though”.

“Then I’ll call you Gouenji, if you like,” she simply said. “Aki is my family name. You can call me that”.

“As you wish, Miss Aki,” Gouenji replied. She laughed briefly at that, even if he couldn’t understand why. As he opened his mouth to ask, the main door opened once again and everyone turned their head towards the old big Labrador that entered in the room, wagging his tail and saying “hi” to everyone, sticking his nose everywhere and smelling the air as he was being patted by dozens of eager hands. He didn’t seem to notice him and Gouenji thought it was really strange, since he was still sort of a stranger, but the senior dog seemed totally unaware of his presence.

The king walked through the door, yawning loudly.

Gouenji was ready to bow, but nobody moved, so he didn’t.

“You are late,” Kidou reprimed the newcomer, looking severely at him from under his black glasses.

His majesty seemed sleepy, still wearing his nightgown like it was nothing. He yawned again, rubbing his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, taking his seat at the head of the table. Gouenji thought he would have said something first, but the one getting up to speak was Kidou, while he was fixing nervously some papers in front of him. Gouenji noticed how the table was now fully occupied and Kidou’s seat was exactly at the center of the longer side. 

“Is everybody here?” Kidou asked, his voice loud and clear. Everybody nodded and whispered a quiet “yes”. There were about twenty people in the room, but Gouenji figured out none of them was of blue blood (and if they were, they were hiding it well). Some of them were chatting and munching on their leftovers, some were slouching in their seats, others had their head fiercely resting on the table, still unable to wake up. “Well then, let’s start,” Kidou went on saying. His composure was almost ridiculous in that chaotic atmosphere but Gouenji could see how he was well respected.

“Wait,” His majesty stopped him. A servant was bringing him a huge kettle full of tea and Endou thanked him with a nod. Gouenji recognized the page who brought him clothes that morning and looked at him in disbelief as he took seat at their table.

That wasn’t a court. They were all inhabitants of the castle.

“Now we are all,” His majesty grinned.

Kidou looked at the page and apologized. “Sorry, Tachimukai”.

The boy smiled awkwardly. “I overslept, too”.

“You didn’t have to prepare the tea, then,” His majesty reprimed him, passing the kettle to the left. The one taking it, a silent young man with long turquoise hair, poured the tea on his wooden glass and passed it over as well. Gouenji was enraptured by the movement of the kettle and wasn’t able to hear the rest of the conversation for a while.

This until the king called him out of nowhere. “Gouenji?”

He startled, feeling like he was being caught in some ominous act. “Your majesty,” he responded quickly.

The king wasn’t mad at all and smiled at him. “Would you like to introduce yourself before we start?”

Gouenji looked at the table, all eyes on him. He stood up slowly, trying to decipher their expression. “I’m Gouenji Shuuya,” he said, loud enough so everyone could hear. “You can call me Gouenji”.

And… that was it? It was not like they had to know more, since he didn’t know why he was there, either. He didn’t even know for how much he would have stayed. Maybe it was really a matter of weeks, after all. He recalled a conversation he had had with the king the night before, when he almost panicked just thinking at the price he would have had to pay to cover for Yuuka’s stay. His majesty had just chuckled, gesturing at the healing warm light out of the window. “She hasn’t ever asked a payment, for what I know. She’s just there”.

Now all he had to do was to submit at the orders of his new patron.

“You are thin,” a big, stocky man pointed out from the other side of the table, eyes full of worry. “Have you eaten, yet?”

Gouenji blinked a pair of times and looked at him in silence. That wasn’t something he had expected to hear.

“Did he eat?” the man asked again at the lady sitting at his right, a young woman with red, shiny hair.

“I don’t know, I cooked dinner for everyone,” she grumbled, clearly uncomfortable. “Was it not good?”

His majesty showed his palms like he was trying to reassure her. “It was, Natsumi, don’t you worry,” he smiled. “I’m sure Gouenji liked it a lot”.

Gouenji wanted to reaffirm his king’s words, if nothing else for a matter of courtesy. “I did,” he said. Natsumi seemed satisfied just like that and relaxed on her seat.

Endou got up and looked at his companions with pride filling his eyes. “Everybody, let’s give Gouenji a warm welcome. From now on, he’ll be my knight.”

…

_Just like that?!_

“Wait,” Gouenji tried to say, but his voice was covered by the exclamations of relief that followed. “About the damn time,” someone huffed, eye rolling. Gouenji looked at the king in disbelief, not quite understanding the logic behind that choice. He had just got there. How could he trust him so easily?

He had so many questions. But before he could draw everyone’s attention, Kidou took action. “Well then,” his voice broke into the general commotion. He looked a bit pissed. “Shall we start for the day?”

Gouenji sat down in silence.

֍

As soon as the table was dismissed for the day, Gouenji tried to reach the king, without any success. The man was gone before he could even get up from his seat. Everyone in the room had a sort of task for the day so they were too busy discussing it with each other, before leaving one by one. Gouenji tried to get over them to go after his majesty… it really was like he took flight.

But Kidou’s voice stopped him on the spot.

“Wait, Gouenji. Can I have a word?”

Gouenji startled, turning around to see the clairvoyant tiding up the files in front of him. He wasn’t looking at him, but the sound of his voice was peremptory, and the mercenary stopped moving. People were getting past him, chattering as they left undisturbed. Soon, they were the one remaining in the room.

“Did you sleep well?” Kidou asked, as he sat down again. Gouenji looked at him, frowning, not knowing what the clairvoyant was getting at with that question. That could have been a way to be polite, or to apologize for how he had treated him down in the basement. Gouenji wasn’t sure if he could trust him, either way. He gave him a wary look, not answering to the question.

“Right, you usually prefer to go straight to the point,” Kidou smirked. “I was about to forget”.

“I would rather know the reason why I’m here,” Gouenji admitted. “And why I’ve been made a knight, above all. I wanted to ask his majesty himself, but it really seems you’ll be just as helpful”.

Kidou lowered his gaze on his papers absently, dark glasses so thick that he couldn’t get to see through them. That made Gouenji slightly uncomfortable, always so used to catch a person’s emotion through a single gaze. The clairvoyant’s eyes were inscrutable. “Your assumption might be correct, Gouenji,” he scoffed. “But I’m genuinely concerned about your well-being, you know”.

The mercenary kept silent for a while, unsure of what to say. “I’m fine,” he murmured after a while. “I slept well”.

“That’s good,” Kidou nodded. “Did you visit Yuuka?”

“Yes”.

Kidou raised his head and looked at him through the lenses. “So you must have seen everything already”.

Gouenji shrugged, unsure of what it would have been considered “everything”. “Just a glimpse,” he admitted. “The light was too strong for me to see through the windows”.

The clairvoyant nodded like he had just told him something obvious. “It’s ok. I’ll might accompany you to see Her more closely, though you’ll probably need a pair of these too” he said tapping his own glasses.

“What is it?” Gouenji couldn’t help but ask, bluntly. “I don’t have any doubt about Her power, but I need to be sure of what exactly is healing my sister”.

Kidou nodded again and finally put his papers aside with a wide movement of his arm, the white garment rubbing against the wooden table with a soft swish. “It’s a source of magic,” he simply said, intertwining his fingers under his chin. “A very big one”.

“I didn’t know that magic had a source,” Gouenji frowned, pensive.

Kidou smiled. “Neither I. Not before knowing what magic exactly is”.

Gouenji was confused. He had to admit that he knew nothing about magic. He hadn’t ever known a magician personally, neither could explain what they used to do.

“What we consider magic is nothing but a glimpse of the true potential of magic itself. That’s because we need to store it in physical objects to use it. You must have seen it already”.

“Such as…” Gouenji tried to say, “wands?”

Kidou nodded. “Exactly. But also crystal spheres, gemstones, or even liquids when it comes to potions or moonwater. The only way for us to use magic it’s to have it channeled in object we can use daily. In doing so, most of it get lost, scattered in the atmosphere. But the source of magic is intrinsically terrestrial”.

“Are you saying that magic exists despite the use we make of it?”

“What I am saying is that we thought we could control it, without realizing that magic itself is something beyond our possession. And this castle proves it,” the clairvoyant said, gesturing at the room. “God’s Hand is the nucleus. The power plant of this place and everything inside”.

Gouenji looked at him, astonished by this information. “Are you saying that the castle is… alive?”

Kidou smirked, like he knew something he didn’t. “Something like that. We could say it’s constantly fueled with magic”.

“Sunflowers don’t bloom in spring,” Gouenji noted, as he started to understand.

The clairvoyant smirked. “Exactly”.

Gouenji took a deep breath. “What his majesty has to do with all this?” _Is he magic, too?_ He really wanted to ask, still thinking about the night before, when the king had appeared brighter than the sun.

But Kidou shook his head. “Nothing, for what I know. We could say that he’s a sort of guardian. But that’s where you come in…”

Gouenji waited for him to go on, falling silent, as he realized what it meant.

“It doesn’t look like it, but Endou has enemies. There are many people who would die to get their hands on something like God’s Hand, even if Her full potential is still unclear. Nobody knows about the secret of this castle, exception made for who lives here, obviously. But since the previous king died, something moves in the shadows… they expect Endou to be weaker, more exploited. And they’ll try to use him to get here and see what this place is really hiding”. 

“You want me to protect his majesty,” Gouenji concluded. “That’s fine with me, but I still don’t get why you chose me of all people”.

Kidou sighed. He seemed annoyed, a bit sneering. He stood up and started walking, circling the table with the air of someone knowing something. “It wasn’t me who chose you. Endou wanted it. I complied eagerly”.

“ _Just why_ ,” Gouenji just snorted, almost impatient.

Kidou turned around, now looking at him in the eyes. “I might know, but I want to hear it from you”.

Gouenji jumped at that. “What does it even mean!”

They stared at each other for a time that seemed infinite. Gouenji knew that what he had in front of him was a man of unbelievable capabilities; underestimating, or even challenging him would have been a mistake. He still wanted to know the truth behind all this; the truth that seemed to be hidden inside of him. What had they seen about him that he didn’t know, yet?

“Seems like everybody has secrets for real, mh?” Kidou mocked him.

“I don’t know what you are trying to suggest with this. I’m not special. I told you before”.

The clairvoyant grinned. That smirk. Like he was carrying on a conversation he didn’t really need to hear, as he knew everything already. “Are you sure of it?” he asked. “That’s what I’m trying to find out”.

Gouenji frowned, now more pissed than ever. It was clear that Kidou wouldn’t have told him anything. Or maybe, he was sincere, and he really didn’t know. Only the king would have been able to answer his questions.

Kidou covered the distance between them with long, assessed steps. He seemed so elegant in his white robe, Endou’s vestiges so brilliant they made him shine, even if by a single look Gouenji had seen nothing but obscurity. “I’m his right-hand man. I need you to be at our side in this,” he declared. “I’m his mind and I need you to be his sword. There’s nobody else in the world worthy of this task”.

“What if I fail,” Gouenji whispered. “What if I’m not what you think I am”.

“Then I could say I’m not worthy of it either” Kidou murmured. He looked at him, now a few inches separating them. From that distance, Gouenji tried to find his eyes piercing into his soul.

There was nothing.

֍

Gouenji settled in immediately, memorizing pretty much every part of the castle. Even if he wasn’t used to talk a lot, he had already made friends with a lot of inhabitants of the castle, finding out they all had something similar: some of them had been exiled from their kingdoms, some others were refugees. Not all of them went into detail, though: one of them for example, a charming boy with pale skin and silver eyes, had been quite a mystery even under his attentive eyes. The only thing he knew was his name, Fubuki Shirou: a prince from a far-off land he hadn’t even heard, eternally covered in ice and snow. He was one of the gentlest creatures there, other than Miss Aki.

He had just asked him to accompany him to the library, situated in a block at the other end of the field of sunflower, and there they were headed, courteously chatting about this and that.

Crossing the field though, Gouenji noticed something. At the entry of the library, there they were, his majesty and his right-hand man caught in a deep conversation, almost whispering as if there could have been anyone else to hear.

Fubuki noticed too. “Shall we change our course? Perhaps it should be better to enter by the back door,” he observed.

Gouenji didn’t answer, too mesmerized by the king’s figure, almost towering Kidou from a higher step. He couldn’t tell if it was for the brightness of his clean tunic, or for the reflection of the white stairs under his feet… but his majesty was definitely glowing, his smile open and kind only for Kidou to see.

He looked at the king as he bent down towards the clairvoyant and kissed him tenderly.

Gouenji gulped.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have seen that,” the prince chuckled, still at his side. He didn’t look so shocked like he was. Gouenji wondered why, his heart beating fast and hard in his chest. He was speechless.

A soft push.

“Shall we go?”

Gouenji looked at the prince, his knowing smile giving him headache already. “Of course, your majesty,” he whispered.

He would have pretended he hadn’t seen that.


	3. Knights - Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you crazy?” Gouenji protested, not daring to look down but still jumping on the balcony with him. The window was wide enough for the both of them; still, Endou pressed his arm on his back and grabbed his hip firmly. Gouenji gulped.  
> The king was looking down, like if he was considering something. “It’s just the second floor. The stall is not too far, we have to reach it before they’ll destroy our coach”.   
> “No way it’s still there,” Gouenji managed to say, “Endou, this is madness”.   
> He went well by foot. He was not sure he could develop a pair of wings in a span so short.   
> Endou held him tight, until their hips were colliding. He was smiling down at him. “Do you trust me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood, mild ableism (which I don't condone, only villains do that), fire  
> i don't usually write action scenes so this is bad i'm sorry

Pretending, for an unknown reason, was really hard. Even after a week, that was the only thing he could think of, and that was a problem. His first mission as the personal guard of his majesty would have been compromised by the constant image of his gentle lips pressed against Kidou’s mouth, wandering through his mind in loop.

He was starting to feel really stupid about this, already: had he seen it coming? Of course, not; was there something wrong with it? He wasn’t anyone to judge. He had been there for less than two weeks and he knew nothing. Finding out that the king had a relationship with his counselor wouldn’t have changed a thing, even if they were really discreet, like if they wanted to keep it a secret. Seeing prince Fubuki’s calm reaction had suggested him that it wasn’t.

So, why?

Why was he feeling like this?

So… upset with everything.

“Something’s wrong, Gouenji?” 

The knight snapped out of his trail of thoughts, trying to keep composure. The king was in front of him, looking at him in concern. “You seem pale,” he murmured.

“Your majesty,” Gouenji grumbled, stretching out a hand for him to grab it. It wasn’t like he needed any help to get on the coach, but the king squeezed it anyway, crawling into the small space of the vehicle. Gouenji gathered up the train of his golden coat, taking it inside with him and politely placing it at his majesty’s side. Then he sat down, facing the king.

The knight invertedly blushed, saved by the general commotion of the coach’s departing.

“Are you sure you are ok?” his majesty asked again.

“It’s nothing, my king,” Gouenji answered.

The monarch pouted at that. “ _Your majesty, my king_ … It’s been a week, call me Endou like anybody else!”.

Gouenji blinked. “Yes… Endou,” he murmured, still unsure about that.

The other man looked at him, quite pensive. The knight still had to wrap his head around the intensity of his gaze, so different from Kidou’s, almost like an open book reflecting every thought and emotion. He seemed worried. “I’m sorry, you know,” he whispered at some point.

Gouenji stood in silence, not sure about what the king was apologizing for.

“I told you Yuuka would have woken up this week. Seems like nothing happened”.

 _Yuuka_.

The king thought he was worried about Yuuka. He should have felt worried about Yuuka. His sister.

That made him feel worse.

“I understand,” Gouenji tried to reassure him. “I have no doubt that God’s Hand will heal Yuuka completely. Besides, I didn’t even know she could wake up until the past week. I feel blessed in any way”.

It was true, he really felt like he had been blessed. He visited Yuuka every day, talking with her even for hours, even if she was constantly asleep; that had been a luxury he hadn’t given himself until then, and he was grateful enough for it.

“I’m glad,” the king nodded in sympathy. That smile. It would have been the death of him. “I hope she’ll come back to us as soon as possible”.

 _Us_. That was a strange word, but very fitting. Yuuka too had joined Endou’s court, in her own way. Gouenji couldn’t help but smile, feeling his chest getting warmer: she would have gotten along with everybody, he was sure of that.

Endou’s eyes widened, a chuckle surfacing from his full lips, the same one he had been obsessing on for a while. “Is it a smile? Gouenji!” 

“It’s not,” Gouenji mumbled, still smiling. He paused. Did he really care about his king having an affair with his right-hand man? No, if he would have been at his side too. And that would have been his place, from now on. “I’m just… I’m grateful,” he whispered. “For… everything. It’s an honor to serve you, your majesty”.

“Endou,” the king corrected him. “And I’m happy too, to have you at my side. It’s going to be… a long day. I don’t know if I’m ready for it”.

Gouenji caught his smile changing into something else, a sad and melancholic grimace. He had never seen him like this, so vulnerable and afraid. “You’ll get through this,” he murmured, trying to be comforting enough. That was one of his duties, sure; but he genuinely felt like wanting to help him in any way.

“Thank you,” the king whispered. He pressed the palm on his chin, leaning against the small window to look outside. They had left Endou’s Kingdom already, travelling towards the Capital. It would have taken almost four hours to arrive at the Empire’s Headquarters. Gouenji checked out for his majesty, his eyes lingering on his beautiful suit, made of a soft creamy white fabric crossed with golden embroidery. It looked divine on his tanned skin, in complete contrast with his chocolate eyes, and yet, just perfect for him. The knight indulged a little bit on his wide hands, pestered with calluses and scratches, some rings enriching them in an odd way.

“I hadn’t ever been a prince”.

Gouenji startled, knowing he had been caught staring. Endou was smiling at him, looking absorbed in his own thoughts. The knight remained silent.

“I grew up in a farm, you know. Of course I knew I had a grandfather, but I couldn’t have imagined he was a king, not even a clue. Then one day a letter arrived. All his legacy was left to me,” the king started telling. “I didn’t know a single thing about this world. Finding Kidou had been… my saving grace, if you know what I mean”.

Gouenji looked at Endou, quite nervous for the way he had mentioned Kidou. But again, he said nothing.

“I welcomed everybody in need of a hideout, or a place to stay, from whatever kind they came from. I would like to say that I did it for genuine compassion, but I must admit… That I was feeling alone. That’s it. That’s the very reason,” the king chuckled softly. He looked out of the window once again, admiring the rows of trees passing in front of his eyes. “In a way, I’m glad. It’s as if we are a family”.

Gouenji looked at his sad smile, not knowing what to say. _Why me, then?_ he would have liked to ask again, but it was too late for that. He wondered if it mattered something, anymore. Why did he allow all these meaningless thoughts to drag him around like that? His presence there, his existence, and that kiss… What did they even mean? As a knight, all he had to do was to keep an eye on his king, make sure nothing happened to him.

And yet, everything had its importance in the great scheme of things: all of these thoughts lead to Endou, and Endou only. Wasn’t it?

As if he could have taken his eyes off him anyway.

֍

The meeting was tense, or at least that was what he thought. Standing silently at Endou’s side the whole time, he tried to follow the conversation at the best of his abilities, though he hadn’t ever witnessed something like that. Observing the three delegates at the other end of the table, he quietly noticed their hatred behind their squared glasses, but he couldn’t sense any concrete harm from them.

“I appreciate the offering, but I’m afraid I can’t accept it,” his king was saying with a composed smile. He was repeating that sentence over and over, any motion from the Empire politely rejected, at the point the three delegates couldn’t help but show their frustration plainly.

“Seems like you don’t understand what your position is, Your Majesty,” the oldest of three grumbled. The other two, probably his brothers judging by their similarities, nodded vigorously. “No outlet to the sea. No land to farm. No factory of any kind. Neither a trade,” he enumerated. “We simply thought that the former king had dementia, with all due respect, but it really seems like death wish is something genetical”.

They all giggled.

His majesty let that offense slide, though Gouenji would have liked to snap their neck in half if he had had the occasion. He forced himself to not move for the sake of the meeting only, and it was hard.

“I appreciate your concern, Your Highnesses,” Endou simply said, smiling politely. “But I can assure you we are perfectly fine, though we might take in consideration your supply of kiwis for the next season”.

The first delegate ignored him. “Self-sufficient, aren’t we? By what miracle?” he growled, straight to the point.

That was the moment Gouenji figured out that something had changed. He flinched, unable to hide his distress, but his king seemed unaware of what was going on. “Well, it’s a hard life isn’t it? We could say it’s a sort of philosophy,” he was chuckling, getting up from his seat. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

A dart.

Small like a pin, Gouenji caught it mid-air before it could hit his majesty on the neck. The sudden movement made Endou turn towards him, confused by whatever had just happened. Before he could say something, Gouenji grabbed his arm. “We need to get out of here!””

Surprised by the twist of events, the three delegates gasped loudly, looking for a way out. Gouenji wished he could go after them, but first of all he had to be quick and find out who had shot the arrow. A single glance: there he was, hidden behind a curtain. He could have done nothing against his aim. In a matter of seconds, his dagger was firmly planted into the sniper’s chest.

“Quick!” he shouted, taking his majesty by the arm and guiding him towards the exit of the big hall. The king knew immediately what to do: in a single gesture, he threw the cape to the ground and ran after him.

There were few guards waiting for them at the entrance. Dagger unsheathed, Gouenji attacked them without hesitation. Three, four soldiers meant nothing to him. But more would have come, with the palace filled with armed troops.

“Stay behind, your majesty,” he snarled back when the last of them was taken down with a squelch. But as he turned towards Endou, what he saw was his perfect white suit now dirty with blood, a dripping machete firmly held in his king’s right hand.

“And leave all the fun to you?” he said sarcastically. “No way”.

Gouenji faltered for a moment, his vision blurred by adrenaline. And arousal. He had to smile to cope with whatever he was looking at, if a beast or a noble, he couldn’t tell.

He was really hot, though.

“Of course, your majesty”.

“Endou,” Endou smiled.

“Of course, Endou”.

They ran together down the hallway, breaking through the hordes of soldiers that kept coming and coming. Fortunately, they hadn’t been prepared to the possibility that the original plan to kill the king would have failed so miserably. Gouenji kept assaulting them with his dagger over and over, sure that Endou was at his side. The king strake low, careful not to kill anybody but hitting hard enough to stop them from moving. The knight couldn’t reserve the same thoughtfulness.

“There’s no way they’ll let us take the stairs,” Endou exclaimed, once they had defeated another squad of soldiers. He climbed upon a window with a jump, using the hilt of the machete to break the glass. “Let’s leave from here”. 

“Are you crazy?” Gouenji protested, not daring to look down but still jumping on the balcony with him. The window was wide enough for the both of them; still, Endou pressed his arm on his back and grabbed his hip firmly. Gouenji gulped.

The king was looking down, like if he was considering something. “It’s just the second floor. The stall is not too far, we have to reach it before they’ll destroy our coach”.

“No way it’s still there,” Gouenji managed to say, “Endou, this is madness”.

He went well by foot. He was not sure he could develop a pair of wings in a span so short.

Endou held him tight, until their hips were colliding. He was smiling down at him. “Do you trust me?”

Gouenji had just the time to see his own reflection in those chocolate eyes, before he heard another troop approaching, the clank of their armors reverberating through the hallway. He nodded, pressing his own body against the king, and jumped, eyes closed. _That’s what they call a leap of faith_ , he thought feverishly. He felt the void swallowing them, the only assurance being Endou’s hand firmly pressed against his side.

And then, suddenly, he was feeling lighter.

When he dared to open his eyes, a yellow curtain was wrapping them in a bubble, making them weightless. He looked down, stunned by the vision of the soil approaching less quickly than he had feared.

“I took this with me,” Endou smiled, showing him a glass bottle full of golden liquid. “Just to be sure, even if I had higher hopes for this meeting if I have to be honest”.

Nobody was waiting for them there, probably too busy blocking their access to the first floor from the inside. As he put his feet on the firm ground, Gouenji breathed easy. Endou was right. They were now outside the palace, not too far from the stall where they had left their coach. “Let’s go,” he panted, running towards the building. The king kept up easily.

From then, he could see that the building was surrounded.

“What are they doing?” Endou exclaimed, noticing they weren’t coming for them.

Gouenji kept his eyes on the soldiers, catching every movement. “They are going to light it on fire,” he yelled. “Coaches, horses, everything inside”.

Endou’s eyes widened in horror. “Not the horses!”

The knight glanced at him. In a normal occasion he would have laughed at that. “It’s our only way out, better be quick!”

Gouenji rushed towards the stall, leaving Endou slightly behind. He noticed immediately that soldiers were escaping already through the woods encircling the palace. _It’s too late_ , he thought, and before he could even reach it, fire burst out from the stall. Gouenji hadn’t ever seen such an explosion, he didn’t even know it was something possible. He could hear the cries of the horses, their desperate banging on the wooden door, and Gouenji stood there, for a moment, annihilated by panic. Then he felt Endou at his side again, his hand on his shoulder, his heavy breath against the skin of his neck as he leaned over him…

No.

There was no time for hesitation.

They had to get out of there. _Endou_ had to get out of there.

“Gouenji…” the king was saying, but the knight was already running towards the fire. “Gouenji!”

Dagger still in hand, he pressed the blade against the crack between doors to snatch out the latch, forcing it inside and forcing the gate open. He could barely step aside when a big, old stallion burst out of the building, kicking and neighing loudly. Many horses followed him, still embroiled in their brackets and bridles.

“Gouenji!” Endou yelled again. The knight turned around, just in time to see the king reaching for the bridles of a huge black carthorse and grasping them with both hands. The animal yelped, standing up on his hind legs and crying.

“Endou!” Gouenji screamed, rushing towards him, but the king brought back the horse on all fours with a firm thug. _He’s strong_ , Gouenji thought, even if that couldn’t have been enough to explain the way the animal calmed down almost immediately as Endou showed his palms to him.

Gouenji tried to pull the dagger out of the old wood, now almost completely in flames.

It was stuck.

“Come on!” the king exclaimed as he got on the horse with a leap, steady on the worn brackets. The horse was still nervous, stamping to flee away, but keen to obey his rider’s command. Endou held a hand towards him, inviting him with pleading eyes. “ _Gouenji_!” he called for him with broken voice.

_Without this dagger, I can’t…_

He tried again. There was not time to waste, soldiers would have been after them in a minute, and yet…

He pulled once more, feeling his hands already burning against the hot hilt, flames enveloping him completely, and yet…

And yet…

_Without this dagger, I can’t be his knight._

As he felt his robe catching fire, Gouenji finally managed to draw the weapon out of the wood. It was carbon black with burnt blood, but he didn’t give it a second look, he sheathed it in his sleeve and grabbed Endou’s hands right before the first arrow darted between them. He got on the horse and squeezed his body against Endou as they ran away. The horse was big and heavy, but he still was able to outrun the guards that were rushing after them, hooves hard against the soil, stirring up a cloud of pebbles behind them.

“Endou…” Gouenji murmured, now realizing what he had done. _I’m sorry_ , he tried to say. He pressed his chest against the king’s back, protecting him so that nobody would have been able to hit him from behind… And from there, he could hear him chuckling, his laughter vibrating through their bodies.

_“You really came out of a dream… isn’t it?”_

“What?” Gouenji asked, raising his head from his shoulder.

If there was an answer, he didn’t hear it, a shooting pain in his shoulder taking his breath away. Endou heard him gasping. “They hit you!”

“It’s nothing,” Gouenji grumbled. He sank his fists into Endou’s jacket and gritted his teeth hard. “Go!”

Four hours to go. He could have handled it.

As long as Endou was there with him.


	4. Weapons - Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gouenji would have paid to know what the hell he was thinking, but he had given up already. He just sighed, wondering if he would have ever come to understand that man.  
> Until Kidou sighed, too. Then Gouenji caught a glimpse of his facial expression that made him look… unsure. A few seconds passed, and for the first time the knight thought he could see through those damn lenses, just a bit, enough to see a glimpse of red staring fondly at the sword… then the clairvoyant turned towards him, looking very serious.  
> “I foresaw everything,” he confessed, unprompted. “The meeting, the assassination attempt, the fire too. I saw everything”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> additional tw: wounds

A gust of wind got through the open doors, sunflowers kindly dancing towards the raising sun as the castle was awakening.

Kidou was looking at the sword, unable to really contain his awe. It was the first time Gouenji had seen him like that. “You said it was a dagger”.

“It was, indeed,” Gouenji murmured, a bit weirded out by the way the clairvoyant was handling his new weapon, almost like if he wasn’t really familiar with blades. That made sense, since he was pretty much a strategist and not a man of action, that was for sure. Moreover, his disorientation was totally understandable, since he couldn’t really explain himself why he had left the palace with a dagger and managed to come back home with a _pitch-black and sixteen inches long sword_. Gouenji could swear he had held it in his hands the whole time, until the last time he had used it: when he had pulled it out the gates of that burning stall. But even then, maybe for the adrenaline, maybe for the anxiety, he hadn’t realized how heavy it had become. “I recognize the hilt. Just not the… rest. I can’t explain it, but it’s like… it’s been transformed”.

“Fascinating,” Kidou murmured, seeming ecstatic. He brought the blade closer, almost at his eye level, as if he was looking for something in particular.

Gouenji stood in silence, casually rubbing his fingers around his wounds. He had already stopped by the God’s Hand, but it would have taken some time for them to heal completely and they were itching a bit. Over their heads, dulling the sunlight, a yellow curtain was set up to protect the castle. It had been one day and nobody had come for them, but this was exactly what made him nervous the most.

“It’s almost like it has been absorbing a huge amount of magic during all this time,” the clairvoyant mused, “And at the right time, it burst out, turning into this sword”.

“It’s always with me and… I visited Yuuka quite often these days,” Gouenji admitted, “it must have been exposed to the God’s Hand energy”.

“Something like that…” Kidou whispered, absent-mindedly.

Gouenji would have paid to know what the hell he was thinking, but he had given up already. He just sighed, wondering if he would have ever come to understand that man.

Until Kidou sighed, too. Then Gouenji caught a glimpse of his facial expression that made him look… _unsure_. A few seconds passed, and for the first time the knight thought he could see through those damn lenses, just a bit, enough to see a glimpse of red staring fondly at the sword… then the clairvoyant turned towards him, looking very serious.

“I foresaw everything,” he confessed, unprompted. “The meeting, the assassination attempt, the fire too. I saw everything”.

Gouenji jumped on his feet at that. “What do you mean? Why didn’t you stop us, then?!” he stammered. He felt his wounds burn all at once and he forced himself to sit down again, hiding a painful hiss. “Why…” he repeated. “Why did you expose his majesty’s life at risk, if that was the case?”

“My power,” Kidou stated, “It’s not what you think it is”.

The knight fell silent, baffled by the expression that had formed on his face.

“I… can’t see the future for what it will be,” the clairvoyant explained, lowering his voice. “I see it for what it _could_ be. All the possible outcomes of every single action taken. And it’s not something I do naturally. I… I have to invest all my energies into that. That’s also why my room is really close to the nucleus, as I can’t recharge them easily without the God’s Hand”.

Gouenji blinked. “I… didn’t know,” he admitted, now feeling sorry for jumping to conclusions. “But still… If you knew it was risky to go, why…”

“That’s exactly the point,” Kidou murmured, blank face.

“What?”

“It wasn’t risky at all. I didn’t saw… anything, or rather…” Kidou sighed, as if he was torn for some reason. “In every single one of my visions… nothing bad really happened. Though I did see you would have gotten hurt”.

Gouenji wasn’t sure of what it meant. There had been multiple times in which he had feared for Endou’s life. And yet, everything had turned out just fine. Endou was alive. He was alive and recovering. And then, the appearance of that sword, as if they had been pawns of a big, mysterious chessboard… “It’s… crazy”.

“It’s not,” Kidou murmured. Gouenji raised his eyes on him. “Fate is not something out of our control. We have a major role in directing it and with the right actions, danger can be avoided easily. And that’s why, Gouenji… I came to one conclusion: whatever action you might take, that will be the right one”.

The clairvoyant weighed the sword from one hand to the other, scrutinizing it like if it was a sort of precious stone. He seemed to laugh at himself, shaking his head as if still incredulous. Gouenji thought he had seen it, a glimpse of melancholy and sorrow darkening his face.

The knight held his breath.

“You are a good man. Just good… for him”.

“I’m not,” Gouenji hissed. If he had hesitated, if the dagger had remained stuck into that wood, if he had pushed his luck a second more … “I’m not, it can’t be, you know it’s…”

“Impossible?” Kidou suggested. He smirked. “That’s what I thought. Until I saw it happening. That was the actual proof that whenever you will be at Endou’s side… everything will go just fine”.

Gouenji couldn’t hold it anymore. “I don’t want…!” he exclaimed, not sure of what to say. He wanted this. He wanted Endou. Just not… “I don’t want to get in your way,” he managed to say, feverish with sickness and passion he didn’t even know he could store inside of him.

The clairvoyant’s head snapped, as his piercing eyes stared at him from behind his glasses. He was looking at him, visibly shocked, probably not expecting him to know. Thin lips departed in confusion. “How…”

“I don’t…” Gouenji remarked. “I’m not that type of man”.

“What are you talking about?” Kidou growled in frustration. “I think I had explained this to you. I want you to be at _our_ side. It’s for the best! We…”

“How can you be so sure I’ll not put you in danger? Endou, this place… and you two! I can’t believe you would be willing to let him go just…”

“ _I don’t care_!”

“What?”

“I don’t… care”.

They stared at each other for a while, Gouenji’s hands clenched into fists and Kidou’s face frowned in a bewildered expression the knight hadn’t ever seen on him.

“Do you really think I’d have let you come into our lives if I was… jealous?” the clairvoyant whispered, cautiously putting the sword on the wooden table. He moved slowly, carefully choosing his words. “I was aware of everything way before I knew you”.

“What is this everything you are talking about?” Gouenji growled. He felt his cheeks burst into flames even if he didn’t know why.

All he could think about was that kiss. The way the king had reached down for the clairvoyant’s lips, how the man had leaned against him, searching for his mouth, and then Endou had smiled against those thin lips, still pressed in a timid line…

Kidou shook his head,and then smiled at him, with that mysterious and mischievous attitude of his, so unreadable and yet so human-like and real Gouenji realized it was almost comforting. He stood quiet, not answering to his question. With a quick gesture of his pale hand, he threw the sword at him making it slide across the table. Gouenji firmly slammed a hand on the surface to make it stop right in front of his seat, catching the hilt and letting his fingers wrap around its familiar texture. His eyes lowered on the less known, black, long blade, studying the reflection of the sunlight slipping from side to side under his touch.

Then he noticed it.

“This is…”

Kidou scoffed. “The same pattern you can find on the gateway to the nucleus. Yeah”.

“It’s almost unnoticeable. It runs through the whole blade,” Gouenji blinked, impressed by that celestial artifact. “How…”

The clairvoyant crossed his arms over his chest. “Seems like the very reason your dagger had been transformed into this sword, is your bond with this place. And Endou along with it”.

Gouenji raised his eyes on Kidou, pleading eyes asking for an explanation, a confirmation of what was thinking, even if it sounded ridiculous. “Are you saying that we were… destined for each other?”

“Actually,” Kidou’s lips curved. “I think you are soulmates”.

֍

Everything was quiet. Gouenji sighed softly in relief, as he felt his burn marks slowly disappear from his skin. He could feel the warmth of the golden spring kissing his back smoothly, just the exposure being enough to soothe him and relax his sore muscles. 

“You are here,” a voice erupted from the door in front of him. Gouenji looked up as the king entered the garden, arms widened in a familiar gesture.

“I am,” Gouenji smiled shyly, his elbows resting on his thighs. He felt slightly exposed with his chest bared and his sword dropped at his feet, but it was just his king, after all. He couldn’t help but peeking at Endou’s plain robe, fresh and bright from laundry, and the eternal laugh on his full lips winking at him from across the garden.

“I didn’t see you at breakfast so I imagined you would be here,” the king explained briefly, coming closer. Gouenji dived in those big, dark eyes and stood in silence once he noticed the sadness stored inside of them.

“Can I sit here?” Endou asked quietly, as if he was being suddenly caught by a sense of intimidation.

“Yes,” Gouenji nodded softly.

The king sat down next to him, on the rim of stones that circled the the fountain. Then he asked: “Can I see?”

And Gouenji nodded again, feeling his cheeks getting redder, having him so close to him, to see the state of his wounds and rub his fingers on his bare back. He sighed as the thumb came closer to his shoulder, now recovering for being exposed to the God’s Hand.

“I’m sorry,” Endou whispered.

Gouenji turned his head to him. “You don’t have to,” he answered earnestly.

The king’s eyes laid on him, full of sense of guilt and sorrow. “I didn’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want… anybody to get hurt for me,” he murmured.

“I’m recovering so fast here, I haven’t even had the time to feel the pain at all,” the knight smirked at him.

As if those simple words were enough to reassure him, Endou returned the smile. He brought his hands to pick up some of the limpid syrup that was pooling behind them in a pond. “Can I?” he asked hesitantly. Gouenji stared at the yellow liquid gathered in his palms for a second. He hadn’t ever dared to touch it, like it truly was sacred, just the exposure being enough to give him relief. He nodded, holding his breath in anticipation.

Endou placed tenderly his hands on the open wound and Gouenji hissed at the sensation. It was almost like pure honey was being rubbed on his skin, fresh and viscous and regenerating. The knight could almost feel the wound closing immediately, as Endou kept on pouring it over his shoulder. “It’s…”

“I know,” Endou chuckled. “bear with me”.

Gouenji breathed out, amazed by the sensation.

“You can touch it too,” Endou invited him. “I’m sure it will help your burns to recover far more quickly”.

“I didn’t know if I could…” the knight murmured, sliding his hand over the yellow surface. The syrup was fresh at his touch. For a moment, he almost felt it climbing his fingers, gently wrapping on his knuckles. If it weren’t for the calm presence of Endou at his side, Gouenji would have feared it. “Have you ever had a bath in there?” he joked.

“I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” the king laughed. “But yeah, I often dream of doing it”.

Gouenji frowned, pensive. “You dream, uh…?” he murmured, raising his gaze on him.

Endou stared back, hands leaving his skin. The knight came aware of what he was doing only when he saw him tilting his head in confusion. Then he lowered his head, feeling inadequate. “I’m sorry, your majesty, I…”

“Gouenji,” Endou murmured in a serious tone that made him look up at him again. “Call me by my name”.

The sight of his king alone, so composed and determined, was enough to take the knight’s breath away. “Endou…” he whispered softly. “I still don’t understand… why you chose me to be your knight, and I’m afraid I’ll never get it”.

Endou stood up, walking slowly and putting some distance between them. It looked like he was really thinking about it, as if he was trying to find the right words. “I think that God’s Hand… told me,” he explained eventually. “Since I’ve known you, it’s like something is telling me that everything will be alright. And I trust this sensation so hard it’s really easy to accept it and not worry about a thing”.

Gouenji shook his head. “It’s been just two weeks,” he murmured. “How can you be so sure of it?”

The king giggled, looking at him as a kid about to confess a mischief. “I fall in love easily”.

Gouenji let those words pierce through his heart. He knew, he didn’t have any right to wish. But that soft expression of his, the way he was looking at him, with such tenderness and positivity, as if Endou was his already…

“Endou,” Gouenji murmured, getting up. “Can I ask you something?”

The king nodded, cautiously observing his movements as he bowed and picked up his sword. As he reached him, Gouenji grew more nervous, but he knew what he was doing. He handed him the sword, point to the ground, still a bit red in the face.

“I need you to pronounce me as your knight… officially”.

Endou seemed surprised by that request. “What do you mean?” he asked softly, placing a hand over his, tightening his grip on the hilt.

“I need you to say it,” the knight murmured. He didn’t move an inch, too mesmerized by his own words. “That I’m yours. And always will be”.

The king’s lips parted in a gasp, then he chuckled, quite embarrassed himself. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to do it”.

Gouenji smiled. He left the hilt to the king, their fingers brushing, and placed a knee to the ground. “Neither I,” he confessed. “I think… It’s more or less like this”.

Endou watched as the knight sank down at his feet, just now realizing the solemnity of that moment. Gouenji looked at him as he swallowed, visibly freaked out, sword firm in his hands. He raised it gently, not clearly knowing how to handle it and Gouenji bowed his head. He felt the blade touching his right shoulder, one, two times, and then after a second of hesitation a third one.

“I… uhm…” Endou murmured. “I don’t know what I am doing”.

That confession made him laugh. “Just… proclaim me as your knight”.

The king’s answer came unexpected. “But I don’t want to”. Gouenji raised his head in confusion, looking at Endou in the eyes. The king chuckled nervously. “Please Gouenji, can you stand up?”

The knight stood there for a moment, feeling ridiculous. Then he jumped to his feet, as the king asked, and kept staring at him in confusion. This, until Endou closed the distance between their bodies and pulled him into a solid hug.

Gouenji gasped in surprise, not knowing where to put his hands, and yet allowing himself in that embrace, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

“I want you to be here,” Endou murmured, “not because God’s Hand said it. Not because you are my knight. Not because we are friends, either. I want you to stay only if you really want it”.

“Endou…” Gouenji said, feeling tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. “Endou, I…”

He clutched his fists in Endou’s plain tunic and sighed.

(Yuuka eventually woke up that day)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry i was quite uninspired for this one maybe you have noticed, ANYWAY, this is my last entry for this week!! i had a lot of fun!! please let me know if you enjoyed reading this fanfiction as much as i liked writing it lmao <3 there's actually more, but i'll make a pause from this AU just in case.  
> thank you!!!
> 
> fay


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